Lowe Blow

We try not to be too axe-grind-y here at D:O, favoring a more celebratory stance, appreciating the under-appreciated. But if we have any under-arching points — and we do try not to be too point-y — one of the main ones is to reinforce the notion that the jazz avant garde/New Thing/noise thing is not the departure some might think, but rather an extension of The Tradition. We do not hear the New Thing as a rejection of what came before, but as a conversation with it, or perhaps at its most radical an interrogation of it.

One of the greatest examples of this can be found in the person and playing of tenor man Frank Lowe. Lowe’s first record as a leader was 1973’s Black Beings, on ESP. His long, ecstatic rendition of “In Trane’s Name,” when combined with the ESP pedigree, and his early experiences playing with Alice Coltrane , had some pegging him as the next Aylerite/late Coltrane fire-breather. Less noticed on that album, perhaps, was the rather lovely, and short, unaccompanied solo “Brother Joseph.” And maybe even less known, still, was the key role Gene Ammons played in inspiring Lowe to pursue the tenor path. Here was a musician who was going to use all that came before in crafting his sound and approach.

The Flam showcases Lowe’s free-boppish approach in grand style. The title track is Lowe’s. After a peppy unison head, everyone drops out except for bass player Blake. Cue theme again. What follows is an ever-shifting arrangement of trios and duos, with Blake propelling the song forward. Each solo maintains some kind of relationship with the central theme. Lowe himself makes the most aggressive shifts in tone, sliding from smooth balladeering to honky screech across the space of a couple bars, almost like he’s trading fours with himself. It’s all-encompassing — a method we can really get behind.

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An mp-free jazz blog focusing on rare or out-of-print music. We generally publish once a week. Songs will be available for a limited time, and are for evaluation purposes only.
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